Method and apparatus for finishing belts



July 11, 1961 J. ROCKOFF ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FINISHING BELTS Filed March 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g so (\1 o q- N JOSEPH ROCKOFF DALE L- WAUGH WALTER E-HUBER INVENTORS ATTORNEY July 11, 1961 J. ROCKOFF ETAL 2,991,498

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FINISHING BELTS Filed March 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOSEPH ROCKOFF DALE L. WAUGH 52 WALTEREHUBER INVENTORS ATTORNEY nylon, or other materials.

2,931,498 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FINISHING BELTS Joseph Rockotf, Dale L. Waugh, and Walter E. Huber,

Dayton, Ohio, assignors to Dayco Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 721,169

14 Claims. (Cl. 18-1) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for finishing belts, and particularly V-belts.

The field of belt manufacture has been advanced to a point where high-quality, long-wearing products can be manufactured comparatively inexpensively. Large-scale manufacture of such belts, particularly V-belts, has led to their increasing use and increasing demands upon their capabilities. With these demands have come new developments, particularly in the field of strengthening the belt sections by means of new types of synthetic materials such as polyester fibers commonly known as 'Dacron," Cords made of these fibers have been found to possess great advantages in strength, heat resistance and stretch resistance after an initial prestretch is put into these cords. As in all new products, however, new materials often create additional problems, and it is such problems and their solution which are dealt with in the present invention.

V-belts are made by numerous methods as, for example, those described in U.S. Patents No. 2,711,778, No. 2,726,- 976 and No. 2,773,540, issued to Dale L. Waugh, one of the present co-inventors. By meansof such processes a belt consisting of a trapezoidal cross section, commonly termed a V-belt, may be manufactured. Such a belt usually consists of an inner or compression section, an outer or tension section and a strength section located between the other sections, often referred to as a neutral axis portion. The neutral axis portion-which actually carries the load during the operation of the V-belt comprises longitudinally extending cords embedded in cushioning layers. It is these cords which may be composed of the synthetic fibers. More specifically, a conventional belt method which results in the so-called raw edge belt such as illustrated in FIGURE of the last of the aboveenumerated patents, is made by spinning the cords longitudinally of the belt in a sleeve as described in the patents. The individual belts are then cut out of the sleeve with the result that some of the cords are skived and exposed along the sloping edges of the finished belt. This is necessarily true, of course, because the spinning operation causes the cords to be laid in a helical fashion while the cutting operation is at right angles to the axis of the belt sleeve. It has been found that operation of these belts in pulleys tends to cause the exposed fibers in the cords to ravel slightly. This condition becomes aggravated as the pulley seems to seize the short protruding fibers and tends to strip them from the cord. The condition continues to occur until a considerable amount of the cord has been removed along the edges with a resultant decrease in the strength of the belt as well'as an appearance of deterioration. I I

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to prevent the exposed cord edges from raveling.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine for performing this operation.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a -'machine that can be easily operated.

A further object is to provide adjustments on such a machine in order to quickly perform the necessary operation on belts having a variety of cross sections.

It is still another object of this invention to perform this operation without adversely afiecting the remaining portion of the belt.

to be treated by, the subject apparatus.

Patented July 11, 1961 'ing specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective. view of thepreferred form of the apparatus which is the subjectof the present invention. y i

FIGURE 2 is a view partially in cross section showing a portion of the apparatusnuring operation. r

, FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a typical V belt FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modificationof a portion of the apparatus shownin FIGURE 1.

Referring now, to FIGURE 1, the novel apparatus 11 consistsof a bench-like structure composed-of a pair of vertical legs 12 and 13, and a top 14 and shelf 15, both extending horizontally between the legs. Mounted on the side of the top 14 is a bracket 16 which is attached by means of welding, bolting, or other conventional means. This bracket is of the right angle type and mounted on the horizontal portion thereof is a heater block 17. As is best shown in FIGURE 2, the heater block 17 consists ofa block of metal which'is highly conductive and has a. pair of strip'heaters mounted on the sides thereof by means of 'distance to form a rectangular opening 21.- A thermostat tube 22 is mounted within the lower portion of the block in order to provide a thermostatic control for the heater.

Referring again to FIGURE 1, a vertical bracket 23 is also mounted on the top and has a yoked configuration at its upper surface. A horizontally extending arm 24 is mounted in this yoke and is secured by means of pin type bearings 25. At one end of the arm 24' is mounted a bracket 26 which extends at right angles thereto. "This bracket in turn has a pair of downwardly depending yoke arms 27 in each of which is mounted a rotatable pressure wheel 28 by means of bearings 29. At the opposite end of the arm 24 is another yoke 30 which is attached .to the end of the arm by means of the bearing 31. Ex,- tending downwardly from the yoke is a shaft 32 which acts as a piston within the cylinder 33. This cylinder and piston are actuated by air pressure or hydraulic means (not shown) which are conventional and need not be described here. The operation of this portion of the device will be described later. a

A bracket 34 is mounted on the upper portion of the leg 13 which extends above the top 14. On this bracket is mounted a bearing 36 carrying shaft 35 which is' freely rotatable therein. A pulley 37 is mounted on the shaft 35 by conventional fastening means, and is rotatedfiby means of belt 38 which runs to another pulley 39 mounted on a motor 40. This motor is mounted on the'shelf 15 as shown. The motor 40 includes a variable speed device in order to control the rotation of the pulley 37.

Directly above the leg 12 is mounted another cylinder 41 in which is mountedv a shaft or piston 42, actuated by hydraulic or pneumatic means from the same-source as that which actuates cylinder 33. Mounted on the opposite end of the shaft or piston 42 is a bearing box 43 which is slidably mounted in the slot .48 of thetop 14. A rotatable shaft 44 is mounted in the bearing box 43 and carries upon it a pulley 45. The pulleys 37 and 45 are so aligned that a belt upon which work is to be performed may freely pass around them while passing through the heater block 17.

'the cylinder 41 is again actuated in the opposite direction until the belt is taut, approximating its condition when used in its ultimate installation; As can best be seen in-FIGURE 2, the belt merely rides within the opening in the heater block-17 so that the sloping portions of the sides 20 are contiguous with the sloping sides of the belt, but are not in contact with the entire side area, due to the vertical configuration of the lower portion of the opening. The cylinder 33 is next actuated in such a fashion that the shaft 32 is extended upwardly thus causing the arm- 24 to pivot about bearings 25 and lower the assembly consisting of bracket '26, yoke arms 27 and wheels 28. The actuation of the cylinder is stopped as soon as the wheels are in contact with the upper surface of the belt as shown in FIGURE 2, thereby causing an even contact to exist between the sloping sides of the belt and the heater block. The motor 40 is next actuated by conventional switch means, drawing its power from a conventional electrical source (not shown). This causes the pulley 39 to rotate and by means of belt 38 to drive the pulley 37. This in turn causes the belt 46 to travel around the pulleys and through the heater block. The strip heaters 18 are then actuated by a heating source (not shown), preferably electrical in nature and capable of providing a temperature of 600 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The thermostat tube 22 maintains the desired temperature. The belt is now operating at a speed of between one and two inches per second, preferably approximately one and one-half inches per second. The speed is fairly critical, as it hasbeen found that speed which is too slow will cause the rubber or the cords 47 to be exposed to excessive heat. On the other hand, a speed greater than this will not provide proper exposure of the cords to the heat and will not permit the fibers to melt properly. It is believed that the success of the operation is due to the fact that the temperatures applied against the cords 47 are, as stated previously, in the range of 600 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well above the melting temperature of 480 degrees Fahrenheit for polyester fibers. The high temperature causes the short loose ends of the fibers to be melted off and also provides a partial fusion or weld between the exposed portion of the cord and the belt adjacent thereto. As a result of this operation, the frayed ends are thus removed and a smooth surface results, avoiding the previously described seizing of the cords.

After several rotations of the belt, the sealing has been properly effected, and the operator then actuates the cylinder 33 to permit the wheels 28 to rise, shuts off the motor 40 and again causes the pulley 45 to move inwardly toward the other pulley. This provides a slack and the belt is then removed from the apparatus. The machine is now in position for the next belt upon which operation is to be performed and the previously described cycle is repeated.

Modification The above-described apparatus is capable of treating belts of any given cross section, and will provide satisfactory results where a large number of belts of the same cross section are to be treated. Many manufacturers may provide a large variety of belt widths, angles, and heights, however, and it is also desirable to modify the machine to provide for any of these variations. Such a modification is illustrated in FIGURE 4 in which an adjustable heater block 50 is substituted for the heater block 17 of the principal form of the invention. All other portions of the apparatus are identical. The heater block 50 instead of being unitary, is composed of two members 51 and 52. The member 51 has a pair of vertical brackets 53 and between these brackets is mounted an upper portion 54, having a shaft 55 integrally attached thereto andmounted on the bracket 53. At-

tached to the shaft 55 is a ratchet 56 and an indicator 57. A flexible stop 59 is mounted on the bracket 53 and a plurality of markings 58 are attached or stamped on the lower portion of the bracket 53 in such a fashion that the indicator 57 is adjacent thereto. As can be readily seen by examining FIGURE 4, the portion 54 of the heater is capable of rotation as the shaft passes through the bracket. As the shaft rotates so does the ratchet 56 and indicator 57 until it is held in position by means of the flexible stop 59. By means of the markings on the bracket it is possible to obtain a reference as to the position of the member. The member 54 is heated in similar fashion to the heater block of the principal form, although this heater strip is not shown.

The other member 52 of the heater block has a structure which is identical to that of the member 51. This consists of a pair of vertical brackets 60, upper portion 61, shaft 62, ratchet 63, and indicator 64, all capable of rotation. The markings 65 and stop 66 perform the same function just described. The strip heaters 67, mounted by means of screws 68 or other conventional fastening members, are similar to the strip heaters 18 of the principal form.

The two members 51 and 52 are interconnected by means of a helically treated shaft 69 such as that commonly used for driving jaws of a vise. It is possible, therefore, by rotating the member 69 to actuate the members toward or away from each other similar to the action that occurs in a vise or in portions of a lathe. By combination of this transverse movement of the members and the rotation of the upper portions of the members, it is possible to obtain a contact with a V-belt of almost any height, width, or included angle. The type of contact desired, of course, is similar to that shown in FIGURE 2 in which the cords of the belt are contiguous with the heated members. The device shown will easily accommodate belts having included angles between 25 and 40 degrees, which is sufficient to operate on the entire low range of V-belts in comon use. The position shown in FIGURE 4 is midway of the extreme positions, and is, therefore, set at approximately 35 degrees.

When it is desired to utilize this adjustable heater block, the required lateral and angular adjustments are made and the remaining apparatus is operated exactly as described when referring to the principal modification.

It can thus be seen that by means of this invention a novel apparatus and method have been described in which it is possible to finish a belt having polyester or nylon strength cords. The novel apparatus consists of a device which can selectively apply heat to these cords while the belt operates at such a speed that the frayed ends of the cords are sealed without damaging the remainder of the belt. The operation occurs at a sufiiciently high speed to make this process extremely feasible and economical. The novel apparatus and method further enables an operator to finish belts of any desired length, width, height, or included angle with great dexterity and ease. The above form of the invention is purely exemplary and is not intended in any way to limit the invention. Other modifications within the spirit of the invention are contemplated.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprisingmeans for continuously driving said belt and means mounted adjacent the sides only of said belt for applying heat to said sides in the area of said neutral axis portion.

2. An apparatus for finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising means for continuously driving said belt, means mounted adjacent the sides only of said belt for applying heat to said sides in the area of said neutral axis portion, and means for holding said belt in contact with said heat applying means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said belt holding means comprises a movable pressure device against the outer surface of said belt in the area of said heat applying means.

4. An apparatus for finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising a driving and a driven pulley over which said belt may be passed during the finishing operation, said driven pulley adjustable toward and away from said driving pulley, and means mounted between said pulleys for applying heat to the sides only of said belt in the area of the neutral axis portion.

5. An apparatus for finishing an endless V-belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising means for continuously driving said belt and opposed heating members adjacent the sides only of said belt for applying heat thereto in the area of said neutral axis portion, said heating members capable of both angular and axial adjustment.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said angular adjustment provides an included angle ranging from 25 to 40 degrees.

7. An apparatus for finishing an endless V-belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising means adjustable to varying belt lengths for continuously driving said belt, means mounted adjacent said belt for applying heat to the sides only thereof in the area of said neutral axis, said means angularly and radially adjustable to accommodate varying belt widths and angles, and movable pressure means mounted above said heat applying means for holding said belt in contact with said heat applying means.

8. In an apparatus for finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, means located adjacent the sides only of said belt for applying heat to said neutral axis portion, said means consisting of a pair of heating members having angular and axial adjustments to accommodate varying belt widths and angles.

9. An apparatus for finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof including a structural member; means mounted on said member for continuously driving said belt comprising a driving means, a driving pulley operated by said driving means, and a driven pulley adjustable toward and away from said driving pulley; means mounted on said member between said pulleys for applying heat to the neutral axis portion comprising a pair of heating blocks capable of individual angular and axial movement to permit adjustment thereof; means mounted on said member adjacent said heat applying means for maintaining pressure of said belt against said heating blocks comprising reciprocating actuating means and a pivotable pressure arm attached thereto and actuated thereby, said arm contacting the outer surface of said belt during said finishing operation.

10. A method of finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising the steps of continuously driving said belt and applying heat against the sides only of said belt in the area of said neutral axis portion.

11. The method of claim 10 in which said belt is driven at a speed of approximately one to two inches per second.

12. A method of finishing an endless belt having strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising the steps of continuously driving said belt and applying heat against the sides only of said belt in the area of the neutral axis portion while applying radial pressure to the outer surface of said belt.

13. The method of claim 12 in which said belt is driven at a speed of approximately one to two inches per second.

14. A method of finishing an endless belt having partially exposed strength cords embedded in the neutral axis portion thereof, comprising the steps of continuously driving said belt at a speed of approximately one and onehalf inches per second, applying heat in the range of 600 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit to the sides only of said belt to melt off the loose fiber ends in said cords, and simultaneously applying radial pressure to the outer surface of said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,842,646 Atkins Jan. 26, 1932 2,093,922 Meyer Sept. 21, 1937 2,110,076 Bierer Mar. 1, 1938 2,159,543 Baker May 23, 1939 2,451,597 Wheeler Oct. 19, 1948 2,551,005 Johnson May 1, 1951 2,551,811 Mueller May 8, 1951 2,602,188 Gorecki July 8, 1952 2,770,014 Nordlin et al. Nov. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 517,655 Canada Oct. 18, 1955 

